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Chaff and flares
are counter measures used by military aircraft to
avoid detection by an adversory/radar
and air defense mechanisms. Typical material used in chaff is fiber, which deflects
(disperse) radar signals. Aluminium foil coated with glass fiber was also used in the
past. Fighter aircrafts eject large quantities of chaff when flying in combat
operations, which forms electromagnetic cloud signals and throws off the
radar returns. This is a way to operate a military aircraft in
stealth mode and egress out of danger zones undetected. The flares are also used
to throw off heat seeking missiles
by creating a false heat map away from a fighter
aircraft. By its design, the heat seeking missile will latch on to the flare or
multiple flares causing it to destory the flares.
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Photo Courtesy: US Air Force
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